US tanks move against Sadr rebels in Karbala

Page Tools

Karbala: US tanks fired on buildings and jet fighters bombarded targets in the holy city of Karbala yesterday during clashes with militia loyal to the rebel imam Moqtada al-Sadr, witnesses said.

Half of Mukhaiyam mosque, which had served as a base for Sadr followers, was destroyed and seven hotels were on fire.

Most of the shops in Tal al-Zeinabiya, a central market, and three ambulances were destroyed. A witness counted the bodies of 14 Iraqis lying in one of the city's main roads and said US snipers were shooting at anyone who moved in the streets.

A US military officer in Baghdad said coalition forces had killed 20 to 25 "enemy" fighters in battles in Karbala that began on Tuesday evening. Seven coalition soldiers were injured, he said.

Sadr's militia began an uprising against occupying troops last month. US officials vowed to kill or capture him, but recently backed away from that stance.

Sadr is in Najaf - another Shiite holy city - and has sworn to resist efforts to detain him. Aides to Sadr in Najaf said on Tuesday they had agreed with other Shiite Muslim factions that the imam could pull his militia out of the city if US forces also withdrew.

AdvertisementAdvertisement

In Kuwait yesterday the director of the court that will try Saddam Hussein announced that it was unlikely that the US would hand over Saddam to Iraqi officials before the June 30 transfer of power.

Salem Chalabi, director of the Iraqi Special Tribunal,

issued a statement modifying comments he made on Tuesday, when he said Saddam could be handed over along with other top detainees before the US-led occupying coalition hands over sovereignty.